New tollway mile marker signs seen as good move

It might seem like an expensive exercise in signage clutter to some drivers.

But if your car breaks down on the Illinois tollway, doubling the number of mile marker signs alongside the roadway will make it easier to let tow truck drivers know your location.

The effort to post new markers every quarter-mile -- instead of each half-mile -- is costing more than a half-million dollars.

Such an extravagant endeavor was not a consideration when the world's first mile-marker stone obelisks, made from granite or marble, were installed by Roman Empire road builders back when people traveled at most only a few miles per day.

Officials at the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority said installing 4,500 new signs is money well spent to help drivers involved in accidents, medical emergencies or any other time when the unexpected happens.